How to Care for Cichlids - CichlidLife.com Has the Answer

Feb. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- Perry, OH - http://CichlidLife.com, a site dedicated to teaching enthusiasts how to care for cichlids, launched this past week. Cichlids tend to be popular amongst new aquarium owners due to their bright colors and unique behavior. CichlidLife.com intends to provide hobbyists with information on topics such as, how to care for cichlids, how to breed cichlids, how to set up a cichlid tank and information regarding the different types of cichlid species.

CichlidLife's founder, Duston McGroarty, explained to us why he decided to launch this new online business. He said, "I saw a gap in the market. A need that wasn’t being met. While there is tons and tons of information online about cichlids and how to care for them, there was still something missing. Recency." He continued to say, "I’ve spent countless hours online researching cichlids. How to care for them, which ones are best for my tank, how many should I get, where should I get them, what else should be in my tank, etc. I noticed  something while researching… other than a few forums, there’s no where for the avid cichlid enthusiast to hang out and receive up-to-date information about cichlids. Plus, everything that’s out there is rather boring. Just reading through that mess makes my head hurt. I wanted to find something simple, entertaining and easy to understand. I couldn’t find it. That’s why I created this site."

Duston was kind enough to give us a quick outline for beginners to follow who are interested in raising cichlids. Believe it or not, it's much easier than most people think. He suggests starting with convict cichlids in an aquarium no smaller than 29 gallons. According to Duston, convict cichlids are a great choice for beginners. They're not picky about water quality and will eat just about anything. You can read more about convict cichlids at http://cichlidlife.com/profiles/convict-cichlid/ where Duston explains in great detail how to care for convict cichlids.

Setting up your first aquarium is not hard. It really comes down to knowing what your fish like. Duston recommend starting with convict cichlids in an aquarium no smaller than 29 gallons because that's an ideal "starter cichlid tank". But, he did have a word of warning. Convict cichlids are very aggressive and will attack other fish and even you, the tank owner. If a male and female get paired together, breeding will almost always happen. It's extremely easy to breed convict cichlids. But doing so causes them to become extra aggressive. They will protect their nest at every cost. Just be careful not to mix them with less aggressive fish.

That's all there really is to caring for cichlids. At least convict cichlids. There are other more picky cichlids that require special attention. Things such as pH levels, water temperatures, substrate types and tankmates become more of an issue. To help you answer some of these more difficult questions, Duston has decided to start a free cichlid newsletter. He plans to send a newsletter out at least once a week if not twice a week covering topics such as really cool product reviews, interesting profiles of unique cichlids and his tips and tricks for raising, breeding and caring for cichlids. You can sign up for free over at http://CichlidLife.com.